Four
by musicalS377
Summary: One school, Two deaths, Three comings of age, and the Four founders that started it all. Return to Hogwarts at the turn of the eleventh century to discover what Hogwarts, A History left out! Rating for mature themes in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Four

Summary: One school, Two deaths, Three comings of age, and the Four teachers that started it all. Return to Hogwarts at the turn of the eleventh century to discover what really happened to the four founders.

Disclaimer: JKR owns all of the characters that sound familiar, and quite a few of them that don't. I don't plan on using this story for money or anything else that might be of value, except for constructive criticism.

Prologue

December 25, 1020 A.D

I should have seen the signs earlier. I should have known, that day the older Slytherins were chasing that sorry-looking ferret, that the rodent was a terrified eleven-year-old Gryffindor. I should have guessed that although Godric loved Salazar as a brother, what Salazar felt for Godric was twisted in malice and discontent. I was stupid not to see-- Rowena the Clever, they called me-- but only after Salazar was revealed did I understand that our school, which was designed for all to learn without prejudice or magical background, was flawed because of the teachers that had poured their souls into it.

We were tied to the school, even before we called forth Hogwarts, the stones that were the vessel for our tutorial ways. Hogwarts was simply the joining, the realization, of the four of us in material and in kinetic magical energy. Our castle was an outpouring of magic that we were bound to-- that castle was a lord that we had fiefed our life energy to. When we die, our energy goes to the castle to sustain itself. No other object had been so legally binding, and I doubt another will come to pass. In essence, what we did was send our souls straight to hell or heaven in exchange for this castle to live on as our heritage, our legacy. No ghosts, no supernatural longevity, just straight on up, or down.

I know that Salazar is heading down.

And my soul will join his in the end.

But that is the end of the long journey we four have taken. I'd better start at the beginning, to reach the end with a better sense of the direction I came from, and the direction I am heading.

Where to begin, of course, is up for debate. Salazar would have it begin in his castle, which was the genesis of our school. It is a logical place to start, but Salazar is not writing this. We had many early successes there, in the dankest and the brightest of places, and not all successes were for the good of wizarding kind. These "happy" experiments included all sorts of spells, potions, and curses, but the most notable success was not one of Salazar's alone. For nearly a year, we worked in harmony with each other. Our first students prospered under the care of communicating, open teachers, flexible in the midst of chaos, amiable and joyful in attaining our common goals. To me, that is the only thing worth mentioning in the history books about that period-- "December to December, the years of our Lord, 1006-1007-- Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor worked together as teachers and as friends."

This is not how it begins, although it should be mentioned as part and parcel of the Founders legacy.

Godric would begin with a thoroughly rousing account of his accomplishments-- a catalogue means to impress the unwary into thinking, "What a swell guy he is! He vanquished X and rescued Y, all while Z was happening..." Godric is completely full of himself and prefers his students to be either astounded by his many deeds, or preparing ostentatious lists of their own. On top of this appalling self-absorption, his beginning would consist of adventures told in first person that should be told in third person. He especially loved stealing the fire and brimstone from Merlin and feeding it back to his students on his own style. That is Godric Gilderoy Gryffindor for you.

My story would begin with the establishment of Hogwarts. Such a monumental feat it was-- filled with ghouls and surprises and exorbitant towers that are not stable enough to house youngsters and all of their possessions, but do manage it. Hogwarts is an architectural nightmare and a masterpiece all in one... Take my Room of Requirement, which becomes whatever is needed by the seeker. Even Godric's damnable moving stairs and trick steps would boggle the minds of Muggle architects, who still have trouble making vaulted ceilings. The Ollivander twin who went into wizarding architecture, rather than wand-making, was amazed and more than slightly disturbed at the amount of life-force we had dedicated to our home and heritage.

As I said, my story would begin with Hogwarts, if I chose to begin it my way. In deference to Helga Hufflepuff, I must start it her way. I owe her so much, but I can't begin to pay it back.

Godric calls it my "strange path to redemption," and I fear that he's right. Redemption is always a strange path, no matter which way you walk it, and mine is no exception.

I will start with the kids, all of Helga's darlings, because they are first and foremost in everything she does. While Salazar, Godric and I were arguing over politics and diplomacy, Helga was helping the children, being a maternal and a disciplinary figure, but also giving them her love, while the rest of us were being adults.

I still can't believe we said those things to each other, at the end...

But I digress. Let us start at the beginning, the way Helga would have it.


	2. Chapter 1

Four

Summary: One school, Two deaths, Three comings of age, and the Four teachers that started it all. Return to Hogwarts at the turn of the eleventh century to discover what really happened to the four founders.

Disclaimer: JKR owns the names of allthe characters that sound familiar, and quite a few of them that don't. I don't plan on using this story for money or anything else that might be of value, except for constructive criticism.

A/N: There will be a list of all the students and their respective houses at the end of each chapter (unless I forget) so in case you get confused (there are a lot of students) you can check it. P stands for Prefect, and H stands for Head Prefect.

Chapter 1

Wednesday, September 12, 1010 A.D.

It was a brilliant summer day, the leaves refusing to turn even though it was the middle of September, and the children were getting the most of what could possibly be the last warm day before autumn swept in. As much as Lilian Woodstock wanted to go outside and chase Kim and Jonathan Ratcliffe about on their broomsticks, the scroll about Woodwort and slivers of Flossweed was many inches short of the designated length-- eight inches short, in fact. She cursed her tiny handwriting and wondered how large she could stretch her letters without Professor Slytherin noticing the change.

She hated third year Potions class. Each year it grew a little more challenging, and each year she fell that much more behind. Charms, however, was her favorite class, and she could learn a new spell within the first ten minutes of class. They were working on the new spell "Accio" for the next week, and she could already call large objects like broomsticks and cats. She giggled at the memory of Kim's cat flying into Charms class, sound asleep in midair. How Professor Ravenclaw had loved that little trick, and had commended her for her deftness...

A small golden object flashed across the table, disturbing the memory and making Lilian jump. It glinted in the sunlight and did a small flip in front of her nose, and then was gone. She looked around her chair, certain it had fallen to the ground somewhere, and collided heads with Cedric Diggory, the gorgeous fourth year.

She yelped and nearly lost her balance, and Cedric's arm shot out and caught her shoulder.

"So sorry, Lilian," he yelped, one hand rubbing his forehead where they had connected. "Did you see that Snidget come through here?"

"Snidget?" She ran her thumb along the sore spot on her temple, tilting her head up at him. As the pain faded, she found her cheeks heating up because of his proximity. Cedric Diggory was such a nice boy, cheerful and spirited, and every girl fifth year and under wanted to date him, or even be looked at by him. Even the haughty girls that looked to Godric wanted Cedric Diggory.

"Small golden bird, about..." he held his fingers open in front of her face, "this big."

"I just saw it!" She exclaimed, excited that she had intelligent things to say to Cedric. She had the horrifying tendency to be clumsy around him, and often found her elbow in the butter dish at dinner when he looked her way. And speaking to him usually turned into a disaster, a verbal train wreck. Kim laughed at her after Cedric had gone away, but Kim had the tendency to stare without blinking whenever he looked at her, so she really shouldn't laugh.

"It's in here, then," he said conspiratorially. "Can I enlist you in helping me find it?"

"I'd love to help; it sure beats trying to remember what Slytherin said about Woodwort!"

They set about the Common Room, seeking for that elusive glint of gold, but it was Lilian who saw it first. "There, look there!" She pointed wildly at the far corner, and the Snidget, which had been idly beating its wings, sprang to life. It shot upward and then straight between them, wings whirring like a bug as it gusted past. Cedric made a fantastic dive for it, but it dodged left and he slammed into the long couch and flipped over with it. Lilian watched the Snidget, entranced; it was as if she knew which way it would go before it went. She stepped calmly over Cedric and his couch, one hand coming forward, and as the Snidget dove toward her, she reached and plucked it out of the air. Its wings beat frantically against her fingers, her heart racing in time with it, and then stopped flapping.

"I got it, Cedric," she grinned, and turned to hand it back to him.

"You caught that so easily..." He watched with the light of admiration in his eyes, and she flushed and looked away for a moment. "What is it for?" she squeaked in embarrassment.

"It's part of a game that Adrian Puddlemere created. Hey, I bet I could teach you how to play!" He grinned, and she helped him to his feet. "It's like you were pulled to it... There's an interesting side-effect. What are you doing on Sunday?"

"Me?" She squeaked again, and almost started using those cuss words Alexander Pritchard used when his potion turned red instead of yellow. Couldn't she have five minutes without being reduced to a bumbling fool? "Sunday sounds nice..."

"Right, then. After lunch? We'll go for a broom ride and I'll teach you how to play the game." Cedric smiled and tucked the Snidget into his pocket, and then went up the stairs to the male dorms.

Lilian stood there for a long while, smiling at her good fortune, and then returned to her work.

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"Not a good idea, love," Ronald Ackerly informed his younger sister Amy. "William Malfoy is a Slytherin, first and foremost. Letting a Slytherin get your goat like this makes you little better than a Gryffindor."

Amy had smoke pouring from her ears-- literally, as William Malfoy had mixed her drink with the Pepper-up potion they had been making in Potions this morning. A vengeful Amy Ackerly was synonymous with an angry dragon-- except that she had the intelligence of a true Ravenclaw, and could easily befuddle the greatest Slytherin minds.

Ronald and his twin David were sitting at the table, one on either side, the forgotten remnants of their extensive research papers across most of the table. Two weeks into classes, and the seventh years already had papers due the Friday after next. Because they were Ravenclaws, the amount of work didn't bother the Ackerly twins, but they knew several Gryffindors (namely Rhiannon Pelland and Christopher Black) who were already complaining about the amount of research and work that they had to do. One almost thought, when listening to Rhiannon and Chris, that Hogwarts wasn't a school at all, but an extensive playground for eighteen-year-olds who have forgotten to grow up.

"We'll get even with the little snot later," David soothed their younger sister, putting a reassuring arm around her and fogging his glasses on the steam shooting from her ears. The glasses were the only way to tell the twins apart-- and at that, David only needed them for reading, and would take them off when he and his brother were up to mischief. And they were up to no good often, despite the ever-increasing workload. They suspected that was why Brian had become a Prefect-- to keep his older brothers and his younger sister in line. Unfortunately, he had no more jurisdiction over them than Aaron Dumbledore did, and Dumbledore was the male Head Prefect, and could actually assign detention where he saw fit. Brian didn't have the power, but even if he did, he couldn't use it against his own brothers, and they knew it.

"I don't want to get even," Amy said vindictively. "I want to make him pay." She glared at her brothers, as if challenging them to argue with her, but they knew this mood too well. Nothing would be gained by arguing with her in this state.

David grinned, and said, "Then we'll have to make him pay, love." He exchanged looks with Ronald, and through the twin bond, Ronald caught a hint of the plans he had in store for that prissy Malfoy.

The portrait entrance opened, and Professor Ravenclaw stormed in. She looked quite preoccupied, and more than a little frustrated, and David shot to Ronald, _Maybe we should hide?_

_No, she'll find us either way. She thinks like us._ Ronald picked up his quill and pretended to be working on his essay; David grabbed up a book and flipped through it slowly.

"I'm leaving you two to your punishments," Amy muttered. "I'll catch up with you later." She picked up her Astronomy tomes and retreated to the windowsill, ears still smoking. Ronald watched and wondered if she might actually get a tan before summer ended... It was looking that way.

_God, she's gorgeous when she's in a mood_, David quipped, and Ron was shocked at the implication that his younger sister was appealing to his twin. He gave David a strange look, and realized that he was talking of Ravenclaw. Ron kicked him in the shin beneath the table, and David yelped. _I'm just saying..._

This was one of the few things that they did not share through the twin bond. If David wanted to have a complex over the pale black-haired teacher, that was his problem.

_I heard that!_ David glared at him, and then Rowena spotted them.

"David and Ronald Ackerly," she said in a loud voice, and the few younger Ravenclaws that were sitting in the armchairs beside the dark fireplace dropped their books and looked around at her and the Ackerlys. It took quite a bit of commotion to make Ravenclaws drop their books, seeing as many of them were only responsive to their own name shouted in their ear, but the more mischievous had also grown attuned to David and Ron's names. It was wonderful entertainment for even the first years. Ron suppressed a grin as all eyes were trained on Professor Ravenclaw or the twins.

"Yes, Professor?" David put on his most innocent face, which he had perfected _years ago, when we had really been innocent _(Ronald snorted mentally, as David was feeding words into his head again). "What is it?"

Her stern expression did not alter, and she continued, "Yesterday, Professor Slytherin tells me, you two put Mirthwodle into Francine Parkinson's Serpent Venom Antidote, which concurrently exploded onto several Slytherin students and changed them into snakes."

_That was Monday, not yesterday,_ David muttered, and Ronald kept a straight face. They had exchanged frank or glib comments since the day they could speak via the twin bond, and Ronald especially had become a master at thinking one thing and acting innocently with the rest of his body. He pressed some of that charm into his spoken response: "We did no such thing, Professor."

"Really? Then why did Professor Slytherin find traces of Mirthwodle on your worktable when you finished class?"

_Shit!_ Ronald sent to David, but they kept their composure, and Ronald began. "I don't know why he--" The thin teacher slapped her fist onto the table and leaned forward, getting in David's face. David was the more likely of the two to confess to her, and she was determined to get a truthful answer out of one of them. In the past, David had been the more squirmish, the one she had been able to coax the truth out of, but David had matured in the past year, and had gleaned how to keep a straight face through trial and tribulation both. Ronald sent bracing comments over to his brother, pledging him not to speak of their misdeeds, and it helped. David simply shrugged and continued Ronald's sentence: "Found Mirthwodle on our desk. We were not working with it, nor did we damage her potion. She must have added it herself."

_Wonderfully done!_ Ron cheered, and Rowena pulled away.

"If you don't tell me what that Mirthwodle was doing on your desk, I will have to assign you punishments with Professor Slytherin."

_Fuck, we're screwed! _David moaned.

"This is the third time since the beginning of classes..."

_We're not screwed, just think of a purpose for that Mirthwodle, and quickly!_ said Ronald, communicating fast.

"...Slytherin hates you two with a vengeance..."

There was a silence as David cogitated; neither of them was paying attention to Rowena at this point. _Got it!_ he thought triumphantly after a moment, and Ron held a smile inside.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" She had assumed the classic "I'm waiting" pose: arms crossed, head tilted slightly, and for all Ronald knew, she was tapping her foot beneath the table.

"Professor, we needed the root for our Clear Mind Potion, but we didn't put it in her cauldron. Mirthwodle can clear the senses when combined with Collyswap." David added the tiniest bit of impatience to his tone, to imply that he wanted to return to his homework.

"What do you have, David, that you would need to clear your mind from?"

He looked at her, and blushed, and didn't need to say anything. Ron rolled his eyes and would have kicked his twin if he wasn't getting what he deserved. Rowena looked affronted at first, and then she smiled, relaxing a little as she caught the implications. Ronald could almost see value in David's obsession, when she smiled at one like that...

She chuckled and the electricity in the air dispersed. _Off the hook!_ Ron crowed, but he could sense that David was still peeved at the revelation of his secret.

"Now I know why I chose you two to be Ravenclaws," she said affectionately, and tousled David's hair. "You've outsmarted me! You win," she smirked, "Another crime you 'didn't' commit."

"A good Slytherin sneaks around; a good Ravenclaw doesn't get caught," Ronald said in a stage whisper.

"But you did do it," Ravenclaw said, pointing upward.

"Certainly not!" Ron protested.

"We said nothing of the sort," David said at the same time.

"Fine, fine, " she said, holding her hands up in defeat. "I don't think we give you enough work, if you still have time for pranks." Her lips parted as she smiled, showing a short row of teeth, and she left the Common Room shaking her head.

Ronald let out a triumphant whoop when the portrait had shut, and David sighed his relief. _She's learning from her mistakes, Ron. We'll have to be more careful._

Ron twitched his mouth in a one-sided smile as the second and third years began applauding. _Brilliant bit of work there, although she has engaged her brain on this one._

David took a very theatrical bow, one arm out behind him and the other pressed to his heart. _It's just another challenge I'll have to get through. And this topic is off-limits for a while!_

_Why is that?_

_I saved our asses with it._ David smiled sweetly at Ron, and they both burst out laughing.

Neither noticed that Amy went upstairs, disgusted by the way they worked their crowd. She preferred the subtler ways of tricks, and she was brewing a plan. That snot Malfoy wouldn't know what hit him.

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"ROWENA!"

Peter St. Thomas lost concentration and jumped, positive that Professor Gryffindor was right behind him and yelling in his ear, and the gold vial he had been pouring fell from his hand and clunked noisily onto the worktable. Being that it was a gold phial, it did not shatter, but the contents oozed out like a serpent.

"Bloody hell," Salazar cursed dangerously, and then realized what Peter had dropped. "Get back!" He yelped, and pulled the startled Slytherin and his station-mate, Elsa Snape, away from the table, as the dragons blood began smoking and the wood peeled away in thin strips.

"What's happening?" Brian Ackerly asked from the next table, and his eyes widened as the pool of dragons blood reached the nearest glass vial. It lit up and hairline cracks splintered all along the base where the volatile substance touched it. The glass emitted a low-pitched noise, which quickly ascended...

"Get down, everyone!" Salazar ordered, and all of the students in his Advanced Potions class ducked just in time. The glass shattered and glowing shards flew all about, stabbing into the stone walls of the dungeon. Peter looked at his mentor and wondered if now was the time to use one of the new spells he had been taught. Salazar looked around at the eight students, to make sure that no one had sustained injuries, and looked at Peter with a murderous glare.

Godric yelled again, calling for Rowena more insistently.

Peter's jaw dropped a little at the accusation in Salazar's glare. It hadn't been his fault, it was that fool Godric-- he stopped himself. Godric, as self-absorbed as he was, was still a competent teacher. He made Defensive Tactics and Flying lessons enjoyable-- when he wasn't telling outrageous stories about things that _obviously_ hadn't happened to him. He released his anger at his teacher and at Professor Gryffindor and accepted his punishment, whatever Slytherin would throw at him.

"Scorgify!" Salazar snapped, and the dragons blood disappeared from the table. Nothing could fix the sorry state of the workspace, however, and he looked it over before condemning it. An inch of wood was peeled back in some places, and there were glass slivers and shards embedded in the table.

"ROWENA!" Came the call again, and Salazar closed his eyes as if begging for patience. "Damn fool is Amplifying," he muttered, and opened his eyes and addressed the class. "Elsa, please clean up this table and move your things to another one; everyone else, please put stoppers in your dragons blood vials if you haven't already added it to your potion. Those of you who have," he looked over at the two Ravenclaws, "Continue to stir as instructed on the board. I will be back. Come, Peter."

Peter followed nervously, not knowing what to expect from his tutor. Slytherin could be undeniably cruel, and he could be infinitely patient, depending on the many variables his life revolved around. He was especially ferocious this year, but Peter felt that it was from the breakup of he and Rowena over the summer. They had married over the winter holidays between 1004 and 1005, and they had kept it secret, having gone to a Muggle church to get married. Peter only knew of the marriage and annulment because Salazar's snake had told him.

The main reason Peter had become a Slytherin was that he could speak to snakes. He wasn't particularly devious, like the others, or adept at sneaking, like the Torres family. He was normally very quiet, and the one thing that set him apart was Parseltongue. It was as rare a gift as Elemental powers, and there were none of those in the school. However, if there were any, they would be under Ravenclaw's jurisdiction, because she specialized in the branches of Mind-magic that dealt with Animagi and Metamorphmagi.

"Peter, be on your guard. I need you to understand something about Godric," Salazar murmured while stalking purposefully toward Godric's Defensive classroom on the next floor. Peter was pressed to follow close lest he be forced to run. His mentor's legs were incredibly long, and one wide stride was worth two of Peter's.

"All right, Professor," Peter admitted, although he couldn't imagine what Salazar meant.

Salazar slammed the door open and demanded, "What the blazes do you think you're doing, Godric?"

Peter stifled his laughter at the look on Gryffindor's face. He was _afraid_, and Peter could see a small black tail hanging from the chandelier. The rest of the body was a flurry of wings and black fur, a sinuous body with wings that were larger than the creature itself. This was _awesome_: Godric was afraid of a little gryffin, the thing he was named after? A glance at his teacher's face indicated that this was amusing to Salazar, too.

The gryffin launched from the chandelier and landed on Godric's shoulder. "GET THIS THING AWAY FROM ME!" For heaven's sake, Peter thought, and he really did laugh at the irony. Fortunately for him, his laughter was drowned out by the sound of the gryffin shooting flame out of its beak.

Godric ducked, but the gryffin was firmly attached to his shirt, and he grabbed the creature around the middle to try and pry him off.

Salazar just stood there watching, a delighted look on his face that Peter hadn't seen since last semester. This was new; why did Salazar enjoy watching Godric make a fool of himself?

"What is going on in here?" Rowena demanded, entering with a herd of second years flocking behind her. She wrinkled her nose and demanded, "What are you doing to my gryffin?"

One of the second years twittered a little, and was quickly silenced by the Gryffindors in the group. It looked like mostly Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, as five of them were sporting blue ties and sashes. Blue seemed to be the Ravenclaws' color, although the reasoning behind it was unknown to the other three groups. They had fashioned themselves, the four groups, after their supporting teachers. With the association came certain characteristics, which was primarily why they had been chosen by their namesakes.

The one who had giggled was none other than Amy Ackerly, and she was almost as delighted with this scene as Salazar was. Peter knew her from his awkward entanglements with her older brothers, and from Malfoy's over-the-top hatred of her for silly reasons. They had been dubious to begin with: "She looked at me funny", "She threw potato at me while the teachers weren't watching"... Malfoy was always griping about her. Peter and Elsa Snape were betting cleaning-duty for a month (against Reggie Mordente and Diana Verily, who didn't know what they were talking about) that Malfoy started dating her in the next two years.

"HELP, ROWENA!" Godric yelled, and batted at the gryffin. Peter and the rest of the students laughed as she silenced Godric and called for the creature with an odd chirp; it immediately launched to her shoulder, folding its wings neatly enough that they didn't even brush her hair around, and gave an echoing chirp. She cooed soothingly to it for a moment, and then looked at Godric who was trying to speak.

Salazar finally seemed to take pity on Godric, for he pulled his wand out and pointed it at Gryffindor, and Godric began speaking. "--Why was that thing in my office in the first place?" He seemed a bit startled at being audible again, but continued after a moment. "Rowena, can't you keep your creatures in the dungeons?"

Rowena gave a long sigh and, without answering, turned to push her students out the door and back to their classroom. The gryffin winged up into the air at the door, once again not touching Rowena's head with its wings. Peter looked up at Salazar and noted the look of sorrow that crossed his face as Rowena left without a word in his direction. Peter was dying with curiosity as to the unfavorable circumstances that had broken the two of them apart; he could never ask Slytherin, though. There were just subjects that one didn't approach with Professor Slytherin, and all the Slytherins knew where the boundary lay. The other three groups were mostly afraid of him, or at least respected him enough, that they weren't going to pry into his personal life.

"Thanks for rescuing me, Sal," Godric huffed, using Salazar's most-hated of nicknames. Godric was trying to use sarcasm, and it was failing quite obviously. Slytherin gave Godric a dirty look, and Godric's sarcastic face melted into an easy grin. "It's all right, though," he said, as if confiding with Salazar, "I can understand if you were afraid of that animal, too. Why she keeps them in the castle I'll never know; I've even heard that she's got dragonets down there!" He clapped Salazar on the back and grinned. Salazar gave him a sneer, which Godric interpreted as Salazar's attempt to smile, and Godric swept out of the room.

Slytherin closed his eyes for a few moments, as if praying to the gods for patience, and then looked at Peter when he was sure Godric was gone. "That man is going to be the ruin of this school if something isn't done about him!" Salazar motioned for Peter to precede him out of the class, and then added, "If it wasn't for his idea, though, Hogwarts wouldn't exist at all. He did come up with the idea of making a larger castle, although it was Rowena and I that implemented and investigated it."

"What was it that you wanted me to understand, Sir?" Peter kept his voice down as they retreated to the Potions section of the dungeon.

Salazar smiled. "I'm sure it will become evident in time; just keep watching him, and inform me of what you see. I want you to come to your own conclusions, Peter."

Peter nodded, and resumed his poker face as he returned to Elsa's side.

"Don't drop anything this time, Peter," the greasy-haired girl warned, but she was dying for information about what had occurred, so she wouldn't bully him too much. He related the incident to her as they set up to remake their potion (for it had spoiled when the dragons blood hadn't been added promptly).

She smirked as he finished, and informed him, "Frederich Torres put that gryffin there."

"But he's a Prefect!" Peter gasped softly, and then said a little louder, "Don't forget the Elkshood."

"That's what makes it all the better. This is going to be an interesting year for Frederich, you just watch him and learn." She began dicing the Elkshood, and whispered more softly, "Since Slytherin is training you to take over after Frederich leaves."

"Me?" Peter mixed the black tea leaves into water, as the recipe called for "strong black tea, dregs optional," and thought back on the previous two weeks. Salazar had been giving him special attention, had spoken to him after classes... he was even training Peter to understand the other teachers. What Elsa said must be true. "I guess so," he hazarded after a moment.

"We'll talk more about this later," Elsa admonished gently, and tossed a pointed look in the Ravenclaw Ackerly's direction. He had been watching them rather curiously, but look down with a blush when she eyed him.

"Maybe he's got a crush on you," Peter muttered, and she glared before breaking down and giggling.

"That would be wrong," she replied, and they set to the task at hand.

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Ravenclaw: David Ackerly 7, Ronald Ackerly 7, Maria Brown 7, Kelly Hall 7, Rachel Pembroke 7 P, Brian Ackerly 6 P, Fern Chatham 6, Jillian Trelawney 6, Grey Pembroke 4, Roger Steward 4, Amy Ackerly 2

Hufflepuff: Emily Dutch 7 H, Adam Sadler 7 P, Marie-Kate Dutch 6, Jeremy Hufflepuff 6, Harriet Barnes 6, Megan Radderson 6, Virginia Smithee 5 P, Sybill Trelawney 5, Cedric Diggory 4, Kimberly Ratcliffe 3, Henry Smithee 3, Lilian Woodstock 3, Jonathan Ratcliffe 1

Slytherin: Lucius Malfoy 7, Francine Parkinson 7 P, Frederich Torres 7 P, Reginald Mordente 6, Peter St. Thomas 6, Elsa Snape 6, Isaac Torres 6, Diana Verily 6, Alexander Pritchard 3, Laura Pritchard 3, Rebecca St. Thomas 3, William Malfoy 2, Jacob Snape 2

Gryffindor: Christopher Black 7 P, Richard Braveheart 7, Aaron Dumbledore 7 H, Rhiannon Pelland 7, Rebecca Sutherlin 7, Henry Barnes 6, George Weasley 6, Jeremiah Sutherlin 5, Diana Weasley 5 P, Mary Connor 4, Sarah Longbottom 4, Adrian Puddlemere 4, Russell Weasley 4, Alice Longbottom 3, Richard Weasley 2


	3. Chapter 2

Four

Summary: One school, Two deaths, Three comings of age, and the Four teachers that started it all. Return to Hogwarts at the turn of the eleventh century to discover what really happened to the four founders. 

Disclaimer: JKR owns all of the characters that sound familiar, and quite a few of them that don't. I don't plan on using this story for money or anything else that might be of value, except for constructive criticism.

Chapter 2

Friday, September 14, 1010 A.D.

"Sht! I've forgotten the password again," Richard Braveheart groaned, and the Skinny Lady had the decency to look appalled at his untoward language. He stomped at the ground angrily, and demanded, "Which idiot decided we would use passwords to get into the Common Room this year?"

"I did," a deep voice chuckled from behind him. The boy-- no, more of a man now, complete with facial hair beginning to sprout from his chin and upper lip-- came up from behind Richard and informed the Skinny Lady, "Password's 'Canis Major'," and she swung open silently. His black hair was so long that it could be tied back into a tail, and he flipped it as he passed Richard, narrowly missing Richard's face with the end of it.

Richard growled, but followed Christopher in. He envied Christopher, not just for his liberal sprouting of facial hair in all the right places (Richard's was confined to his upper lip), but also for his pretty girlfriend Kelly Hall, a Ravenclaw in her last year like them. Christopher was very nicely built, had more than his fair share of muscles, and was Prefect for Gryffindor on top of everything else. Richard couldn't help but envy his friend.

"Hey Rich!" Christopher turned around suddenly, and Richard almost walked into his broad chest. Chris was much taller than him, as well.

"Yes, Black?"

"I've heard that Puddlemere's created a game for broomsticks," Christopher informed him. "He's got a couple of teams forming Sunday... Wanna try out for it?"

"Maybe. I was planning on going into town with David and Ron, but I'll see if they're up for a game."

"It's pretty involved, from what I've seen. There are four balls on the field, some players with bats... Should be a good time. It's in Queerditch Marsh, if you're interested."

"Maybe I'll take a gander with a bat," Richard chuckled, and then sobered as he remembered the news that had coaxed him to run up seven flights of stairs. "Say, Christopher, word has it that Torres planted that gryffin in Godric's Defense classroom."

As they stepped into the Common Room, Black's eyes darkened. "That Slytherin dick!" At his words, the other students in the Common Room looked up at him; maintaining a long attention span was hard for most of the Gryffindors, and the Common Room was usually quiet for that reason. Diana Weasley, who had been helping the second years learn the charm "Lumos," came over and pulled Christopher back into the hallway.

"Christopher, I know you hate Frederich-- I think every Gryffindor in this tower knows you hate him-- it's just that people are trying to study..." She blinked her large brown eyes at him and tried a tentative smile. Richard nodded reassuringly, understanding that Diana was trying to calm Chris before he went off and did something rash, like take revenge on Frederich Torres in the middle of supper tonight. Richard and Diana had seen Christopher do the stupidest things when he was in a rage.

Diana was about to say something further when her students started yelling. Looking back, Richard could see that one of their wands had caught fire, and the students were panicking. Diana rushed back into the Common Room and Richard grabbed Christopher's arm as the taller Gryffindor turned to leave. "Don't go, Black," Richard pleaded, and dug his heels into the carpet to stop him. Chris's eyes burned as he glared at Richard, but he stayed where he was.

"You're just going to let him do these things to Godric?" His tone was accusatory, but his words enflamed Richard's sense of self-preservation rather than his guilt.

"Look, Chris," Richard said angrily, poking the taller man in the chest, "I don't like what that bastard is doing any more than you do, but you let it get way too personal. Look at you! You're so ready to go ripping his head off, but he hasn't even started on you yet!"

Chris's eyes smoldered for a long minute, and Richard almost thought that the air was growing heavier by the weight of Chris's anger. The nearest candle's flame flashed upward into a pillar, and then the next, and the next...

Richard held his hands up in front of him. "You should calm down, Black," he said softly, knowing that he had pushed Chris too far. The Blacks had always been short of temper, and Chris was no exception. His elder sister Jeanne had shattered six windows in the Great Hall last year, when Francine Parkinson had "accidentally" killed Jeanne's delivery hawk. _That_ had been a bit of a disaster, and Richard had noted that all of the glass had aimed toward Parkinson as it fell. Several Slytherin students had been injured, and several Gryffindors, as well, for they shared a table with the Slytherins. All four of the teachers had been upset, and understandably so; even Helga, who didn't get mad, had looked cross.

Chris growled and shook himself, and the pressure in the air dispersed. He put one hand on Richard's shoulder and demanded, "Will you help me get back at him?"

Richard stared at Black for a long moment, and waited until he looked up to say, "I'll help you if I approve of what you're going to do to him. And I don't have a problem going to Professor Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw to tattle on you, either, so you'd better hope I don't find out about it if I won't approve."

Chris glared for another long moment, lightning flashing in his suddenly dark eyes. "That'll have to do," he grunted after the pause, "because you're my closest friend. Richard, maybe I should listen to you. Occasionally."

"Maybe you should," Richard agreed, and they shook on it.

"Time to get to Transfiguration, I think," Black said, and they went up to the sleeping rooms to collect their books. Judging by the look Diana gave Black, she was still nervously awaiting an eruption. Richard caught her eye and gave her an energetic nod, and she got the message.

They hurried down to Ravenclaw's classroom and found the group of sixth- and seventh-years standing quietly near the door, but carefully out of sight of the glass window in the door. One of the Ackerly twins caught Richard's arm, and whispered, "Ronald, and I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Richard had asked the twins to say their name when they first spoke to him, so he could tell them apart. This one was Ronald, although they had been known to switch names often enough that he found he couldn't trust them very much. Ronald had a larger sense of humor, and David had a thing for Rowena, and those were the only differences. And didn't one of them wear reading glasses? Since the other one was listening intently to the happenings behind the closed door, he felt it safe to assume that this was, in fact, Ronald. Richard looked to his left and saw that Kelly Hall, Chris's girlfriend, had caught her boyfriend's arm and (Richard assumed) was telling him the same thing.

"What's going on in there?" Black demanded, a little louder than he should have, and seven pairs of eyes shot him silencing looks. He gave Richard an eye-roll and leaned forward to get a look at whoever was inside.

"Rowena and Slytherin are arguing," the Ravenclaw Fern Chatham murmured, for she was closest to the door. Richard remembered that Fern could do wandless magic, and that she was exceptionally good at listening and silencing charms. "She's mad that he brought 'her' here; now he says that it was her decision to leave him, so why is she so mad? Oh, he's coming!"

The ones closest to the door backed up; Megan Radderson grabbed Fern's arm and pulled her out of her crouch at the door, and they all tried to look like they hadn't been eavesdropping when Slytherin stormed out, wand in hand, muttering things under his breath. Silver and green sparks flashed out of his wand with each punctuated S sound, and he stalked down the corridor, apparently not noticing the guilty crowd.

"Don't come in yet," Fern hissed, and she and David Ackerly darted through the door that Slytherin had left ajar. Richard looked at Ronald, who was plucking at his bottom lip nervously.

"What just happened, exactly?" Christopher asked softly.

Kelly Hall put her hand on his arm reassuringly and then said, "Rowena and Salazar have been married for five years, and they divorced this summer."

Black, Ronald and Richard all stared at Kelly, who shrugged and said, "We'll be seeing much more of that, I think, because rumor has it, they had offspring from that marriage."

"Quite clearly, she hates him now," Megan Radderson added, coming to stand beside her, and Kelly nodded. The three boys were still giving her odd looks, as if they couldn't quite believe she had known this for the past five years and not told them.

"It was obvious," she said, poking her boyfriend in the chest, "You just need to open your eyes and realize that there's more to life than the destruction of Frederich Torres." And with that, she and Megan turned and walked into the classroom, for Fern had announced the "all-clear."

"How could she tell?" Christopher hissed, watching as his girlfriend disappeared into the classroom.

"I'd like to know how your brother knew, Ronald, while you had no clue," Richard said, and looked at the twin, but Ronald shook his head and shrugged.

"We share thoughts, not souls," he said, and they entered the room.

Ravenclaw smiled gently as the three stragglers took their seats, and said, "I'm sorry our class had to start a bit late, but if there are no more disturbances, we can proceed with the homework about Animagi. I'd like the scrolls about recognizing and…"

Chris leaned forward and asked Richard, "That's it? It was just a 'disturbance' to her?"

"...And if you have something to say, Mr. Black, you can kindly say it to the class," Rowena suggested, but Chris didn't seem to notice that she was speaking to him. Every student, Richard included, turned and watched as Chris continued talking.

"I mean, if she actually married that slime ball in the first place, wouldn't it be best to-- Ow!" Richard kicked him hard beneath the desk, and Chris looked around after tossing a glare at Rich. Rowena was staring at him with the most hurt expression Richard had ever seen-- this look was even worse, if that was possible, than the angry look Helga had given Christopher's sister the previous year. Rowena hardened her expression and stalked over to stand in front of Christopher's desk, but at least he had the decency to turn bright red and look down.

"I'd _very_ much appreciate it, Mr. Black," her tone turned hard, and Chris looked up at her rightfully penitent, "If you would not discuss my personal life in this class-- or, for that matter, in any other classroom, building, or location on the grounds of this school. Do I make myself clear?" She slammed her fist on his desk when he didn't respond. Angry tears were sprouting in her eyes. "_Do I make myself clear?_"

"Like crystal, Professor," Christopher mumbled, and looked down again, his cheeks burning.

"Thank you, Mr. Black," Ravenclaw said, and returned to the front of the room. She didn't turn around until she was under control again, and then sat down on her desk and asked, "Shall we continue?"

The class nodded and pulled out quills, even Christopher Black silent as she started outlining the steps involved in becoming an animal.

"Way to go, idiot," Ronald Ackerly hissed at Chris as they got out of their seats at the end of class.

"How was I supposed to know that she had stopped the class?" Christopher snapped, holding his quill so tightly that it snapped. He hissed a stream of curse words, and luckily missed Ronald's response (which was all for the better because Ronald was a skinny twig and Black could have snapped him like the quill).

"Come on, Chris, you've got a Prefect meeting tonight," Richard suggested, as Ronald smirked. "Oh, Ron, before I forget; instead of going down to Hogsmeade, do you want to try out Adrian Puddlemere's new game for broomsticks?"

"I don't know... Adrian didn't have a very good idea with Creaothceann, did he, David?" Ronald asked, and turned to his twin-- who was nowhere in sight. He sighed and closed his eyes, focusing in on the twin bond. "He's talking with Rowena-- Professor Ravenclaw to you Gryffindors," Ronald said and pulled his books into a neat stack. "But like I was saying, Adrian hasn't been the smartest of wits since his last game."

"That's true. Something about tying heavy metal cauldrons to the head and catching speeding objects in them might destroy the brain," Richard chuckled.

"No, this new game sounds a lot safer," Chris argued, and grabbed Richard's shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later on tonight," and he ushered Kelly out before him and left for his Prefects meeting.

Ronald tucked his quill behind his ear and looked over at the door that led to Rowena's study. "Wonder how long they'll be..."

Richard's stomach gave a mighty growl, and Ronald shook himself and suggested, "Let's get some supper and head to the library for some studying."

Richard had to admit that Ronald had an idea there-- his homework from the previous two days had been adding up, and if they were going to the Queerditch Marsh on Sunday, he wouldn't have a chance to procrastinate. "All right, I've got a paper for Defense that could use some tweaking."

"How much tweaking?" Ron asked suspiciously, knowing full well that Richard tended to lie profusely about how much work he had left.

"About six inches."

"You'd better hope the gods will help, Richard, because I won't write six inches for you!"

"How about five?"

The twin clobbered Richard in the arm, laughing, and they went down to the Great Hall.

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_Combine Latin words for maximum effect_

_Lumos- light so Obscuris- darkness?_

_What makes one form of word better than another? Why Lumos, when Lumi or Lumen could do better?_

_Could say tarantallegra-- fast legs (dancing)_

_Could say Cru--_

Peter was scrawling quickly, his feather losing ink faster than he wanted it to, when his sister popped up at his elbow. He accidentally spilled the ink well when she said his name, and cursed loudly as the ink splashed onto his notes. "Haven't I asked you to _never_ sneak up on me, Rebecca?" He snarled, and waved his wand at the splashed ink. It disappeared from the paper quickly, and he looked down at his notes to make sure that nothing was amiss.

"It's so much fun to bother you, Peter," she giggled, and set a red folded piece of parchment on top of his scroll.

"What is this?" He asked, taking it hesitantly.

"It's from Frederich," she said slowly, and dashed off before he could ask more questions. He opened it and read the words "Come to Potions dungeon at midnight." It caught fire in his hands and he flung it to the floor, where it burned without scarring the flooring. Why did Frederich specifically want Peter? Was it because, as Elsa had suggested, he was being trained to take over for Frederich when he left next year?

The timepiece on the wall said that it was 10:30, so he had enough time to finish the notes for this essay about creating new spells before meeting Frederich. Since it was Friday evening, most of the other students were in the Common Room, or gone down to Hogsmeade, or generally having a fun time; Peter preferred to get his homework done on Friday, because the library was empty. Tonight, however, it wasn't empty; there were two older students at the table in the next row, who kept laughing and disturbing his concentration. Rebecca had caught him in a rare moment of silence, and he was displeased with her for disrupting him. Like his mentor Slytherin, once he was distracted, it was harder to concentrate on what he was doing.

A loud laugh floated to him, and then what sounded like Richard Braveheart's voice: "But Chris is very pissed at Torres right now. I'd love to hear how that Prefects meeting is going..."

All thoughts of spell making gone, Peter left his chair and crouched beside the bookshelf separating them. This conversation had to do with a Slytherin; Peter had to listen in. It was no secret that the Gryffindors and Slytherins were at war, and the two instigators were usually Frederich Torres and Christopher Black.

"How did he find out about that, anyway?"

"Your brother Brian told me that he overheard some Slytherin students talking about it in Potions." Peter blanched as he realized that he and Elsa were the Slytherins in question. He had to stay very still and calm his beating heart to hear the next whispered comment.

"Chris wants to challenge Torres to a duel, I've heard through the grapevine."

"Can't trust everything you hear, Ronald, but this one's true. All of us Gryffindors have been on his case, trying to get him to back down from that sort of conflict. You know that's just what Torres wants."

"I wish we could bring this to a Professor," Ronald sighed.

"Godric couldn't do anything, even if he wasn't a complete knucklehead."

A surprised laugh came from Ronald. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Just because he picks us stupid and fiercely loyal, doesn't mean we stay that way. Most of his tales are made-up, anyway. It makes me sick, looking at the first-years adoring him like that."

"You were like that, friend," Ronald pointed out.

"I know. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, actually."

There was silence for a long moment, and Peter was about to get up and go back to his work when Ronald Ackerly muttered, "Apparently Rowena's pretty distraught."

"I don't blame her. I wonder what about?"

"Well, it should be obvious. The leading man in her life has stepped off-stage into the orchestra pit--"

"No, no! There must be something more."

"I don't feel comfortable talking about her like this."

"And you call us Gryffindors loyal," Richard chuckled, and added, "Come on, help me figure out how to keep a dragon sedated for 24 hours..."

"Hopeless cause, you Gryffindor lot--"

"I'd much rather kill it, personally."

"You would."

Peter crept back to his seat and looked down at the suspicious pile of ashes beside his table. Was Frederich enlisting him in the battle against Black? He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this; it certainly wasn't his fight, and he wasn't sure what he would get out of it...

The time crept by, and at ten minutes of midnight, Peter packed up his things and headed down to Potions.

He stepped into Slytherin's dungeon with his wand out. "Fred--" A hand slapped across his mouth, and he nearly dropped the books he was carrying.

"It's just Peter," a gruff voice said from behind him, and released him.

"Welcome, Peter, to the upper-class Slytherins, the elite of the elite, the purest of Purebloods," a deep voice said, and candles flared to life all around him. He took a step back and nearly trod on Octavius Malfoy's foot; he was the large student that had grabbed him. He was not the one that had spoken, though, and Peter looked around for Frederich. He was seated on one of the desks, his dark cloak falling around him like wings, looking to all the world like Lucifer, despite the light brown hair glinting red in the candlelight.

"You have been invited," Frederich began, and hopped off the desk, "to join the elite group of Slytherin we have gathered here." His handsome face was outlined by shadows as he stalked in front of Peter. Peter nodded, not certain if he could, or should, speak. He looked around at the faces that he knew: Francine Parkinson, Terence Nott, Arthur Black, Reginald Mordente, and Davon Avery were all to his left. Elsa and Diana Verily were standing off to the right, looking a little scared, but proud, and he guessed that they were being inducted tonight as well.

"What say you, Peter?" Frederich asked, and stopped in front of him.

"This isn't about Black, is it?" Peter found himself asking, and almost slapped himself for letting that uncensored question come out.

At the name of his adversary, Frederich's eyes went stormy, and he stared at Peter for a long moment, icicles and lightning forming simultaneously in his shadowed eyes. "It's not about him. But it will involve him. If you can't take that, get out."

"Sorry, Frederich," he blazed on, trying to rectify his mistake, "But… I think he's a waste of your time."

Frederich's eyes blazed at him for a moment, then he snorted softly and relaxed visibly. A faint smile crept onto his lips and tweaked one corner up. "I can understand your reasoning behind it, but I must insist that you do not know my reasoning yet. I will watch out that I don't send you across his path too much." He paused and squinted at Peter, as if peering deep within his soul and testing his mettle. Peter tried not to squirm too much. "Well, Peter, if you accept, I have a task waiting for you."

Peter nodded. "I do accept. What is the task?"

"I want you to tame Salazar's basilisk."

Peter's eyes went wide. "He's got a basilisk?"

"Salazar is waiting for it to hatch; his toad is being stubborn," he added with a shrug. "I was informed that you speak Snake, so I--"

"Parseltongue," Peter interrupted Frederich. "It's not 'Snake', it's Parseltongue." He half expected Frederich to give him an exasperated look, but apparently his sass was earning him points in the older student's book, as he merely smiled and nodded.

"Right, that's what Salazar called it. Basilisks are snakes, after all, and you should have no trouble getting it to listen to you. That is your task; we meet every Friday at midnight. When you have accomplished it, you can return and be inducted into our group." Frederich returned to his "throne;" for he was the only one allowed to sit; and lounged gracefully on the table. "We will see you soon, Peter," he said, and Peter knew a dismissal when he heard one.

He crept back to the Slytherin dungeons and got ready for bed, and his dreams were filled with vague slitherings and a pair of frightening yellow eyes.

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Ronald Ackerly stood in her private quarters, knowing they were hers by the blue cloaks and robes that dangled from the wrought-iron hooks on the back of the door, and by the trove of books spread along the walls and even piled precariously against the posts of the bed-- He knew it was her room, too, because she was lying sensually-- sexually-- on her bed with a silken robe wrapped around her. He was beside her on the bed before he quite knew where his legs were taking him; he curled them beneath him and leaned towards her. She reached out with white arms that were just as silky as her robe, and began unbuttoning his shirt, her eyes glowing in the candlelight. He shivered delightedly at the way she brushed her fingertips across his skin as she exposed it, and sighed into her tousled hair as she rested her teasing mouth on his collarbone.

She whipped his shirt off faster than he thought possible, and slid her fingers along his chest, catching her nails on his nipples and licking up his neck, now at his jaw, now his chin... With his erection pressing against the fabric of his pants, he reached out and undid the sash with his eyes closed. He slid his hands into the gaping neckline, fingers brushing at her breasts but not touching the nipples. She moaned when he finally found them, reaching out suddenly and grabbing his--

Brian gave a loud snort and Ronald sat up, fighting in his tangled and sweaty sheets for a long, silent moment while the blood rushed faster in his veins. It took a few moments to realize that he was in his own bed, and another few to realize that he was _dreaming_ about _Rowena_. _He_, the one who had mocked David mercilessly for having a crush, was now having wet dreams about Rowena. He shook himself vigorously and tried to inform certain excited parts of him that it had been just a dream. A nice one, a very sexy one, but just a dream. Said parts refused to listen, and after a moment he had to swing out of bed and retreat to the windowsill.

Ronald leaned his blazing forehead against the chill window and attempted to focus the cold downward. Was this David's unsatisfied lust creeping out through him, or was this the typical obsession of wanting to prove to one's teacher that one is capable of anything? Sweat was beaded on his upper arms and shoulders where they crept out of his sleeveless nightshirt, and he rubbed at the moisture on his upper lip. _Just a dream_, he informed himself slowly, and let the vividness creep out of his mind, as most dreams do. _Just a dream_. He wasn't sure how long he had sat with his face pressed against the glass, fogging it with his heat, but he sat up suddenly and found that he could walk like a normal man again.

As he climbed back into bed, he peeked over at David's bed and realized with a start that his twin wasn't asleep in it. He reached into the twin bond, and David's sleepy voice greeted him. _I am glad you caught me,_ he mumbled with a mental yawn, _I fell asleep in the Spot in the library._ His tone was sheepish, and Ronald quickly assured him that there was nothing to be ashamed of. The Spot was, after all, the best spot in the entire library, with several great winged chairs so plush that one could lean back and feel like they were lying down. The Spot was also impervious to outside noises or nosey students, due to all of the protective charms that the Ackerly twins had placed on it over the past seven years.

_We are Ravenclaws, after all, brother mine,_ Ronald added, and David sent him a smirk and shut him out.

Ronald was glad that David hadn't caught that potentially embarrassing dream from his mind; he hoped that when morning came, he would have forgotten all about it, or at least have forgotten that it was Rowena in his dream.

He was asleep before David returned.

Ravenclaw: David Ackerly 7, Ronald Ackerly 7, Maria Brown 7, Kelly Hall 7, Rachel Pembroke 7 P, Brian Ackerly 6 P, Fern Chatham 6, Jillian Trelawney 6, Grey Pembroke 4, Roger Steward 4, Amy Ackerly 2

Hufflepuff: Emily Dutch 7 H, Adam Sadler 7 P, Marie-Kate Dutch 6, Jeremy Hufflepuff 6, Harriet Barnes 6, Megan Radderson 6, Virginia Smithee 5 P, Sybill Trelawney 5, Cedric Diggory 4, Kimberly Ratcliffe 3, Henry Smithee 3, Lilian Woodstock 3, Jonathan Ratcliffe 1 

Slytherin: Lucius Malfoy 7, Francine Parkinson 7 P, Frederich Torres 7 P, Reginald Mordente 6, Peter St. Thomas 6, Elsa Snape 6, Isaac Torres 6, Diana Verily 6, Alexander Pritchard 3, Laura Pritchard 3, Rebecca St. Thomas 3, William Malfoy 2, Jacob Snape 2 

Gryffindor: Christopher Black 7 P, Richard Braveheart 7, Aaron Dumbledore 7 H, Rhiannon Pelland 7, Rebecca Sutherlin 7, Henry Barnes 6, George Weasley 6, Jeremiah Sutherlin 5, Diana Weasley 5 P, Mary Connor 4, Sarah Longbottom 4, Adrian Puddlemere 4, Russell Weasley 4, Alice Longbottom 3, Richard Weasley 2


	4. Chapter 3

FOUR

Summary: One school, Two deaths, Three comings of age, and the Four teachers that started it all. Return to Hogwarts at the turn of the eleventh century to discover what really happened to the four founders.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, really, just the writing itself. Yay JKR. 

A/N: I know this section does not comply (at all) with the Quidditch Through the Ages timeline, but I'm claiming both artistic license and alternate universe, as I wrote the concepts for this before I studied the QTtA ideas. I added the idea of Creaothceann in as an afterthought, and tried to match this section up as much as I was able to. You can check out the Wikipedia entry on Quidditch, as I got some of my information from there. This is only a third of the chapter, but I've been getting impatient and this part is pretty good thus far. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3.1

Sunday, September 16, 1010 A.D.

Lilian's friend Kim found her at the breakfast table early Sunday morning, and began a pointless and senseless tirade on how lucky Lilian was, and how wonderful it was to get this date with Cedric, and would she spill all the juicy details the second she returned… By the end of breakfast, nerves were twisting Lilian's stomach, and she snapped waspishly at Kim before running off to find Professor Hufflepuff, who had promised to get her a broom.

She was feeling slightly guilty for her attitude toward Kim, but what she witnessed in Hufflepuff's office made her forget it. She had her hand on the doorknob when she heard muted crying, and paused, her sense of privacy warring with her sense of curiosity. It was common to find someone in Professor Hufflepuff's office, crying, but this seemed different from the normal circumstance.

"I don't think I can handle this semester," the cracking female voice continued. "Seeing him with that… horrible woman just makes my stomach curdle."

The crying person blew her nose, and then Professor Hufflepuff said, "You should stand up to him, Rowe. He's trying to make you miserable in front of the students."

"But I can't… I don't have any strength left. Kelsey is living with my mother… I can't even care for my own daughter!"

"Then bring her here. You miss her, and I'm sure she misses you. It's not helping either of you to keep her away."

There were a couple more sobs, and then the crying woman said, "You're right, I shouldn't let him alienate me from my daughter, too. I'll bring her here. But she's only five… will she have anyone to socialize with?"

"I'll send for Jeremy to bring his sons. They're a little older, but if she's anything like you, she'll be mature for her age."

"All right." There was a long pause, and then: "Thanks, Helga. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome, Rowena."

Lilian blushed guiltily as she realized that she had just eavesdropped on Professors Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. She walked quickly to the top of the stairs, and turned around to walk toward the door. Professor Ravenclaw was just emerging from the office when Lilian exited the stairwell. The Professor was swiping at her eyes and either ignored or wasn't aware of Lilian's presence, and Lilian cast her eyes down as she passed. She hated when others saw her crying, and so she ignored the teacher's distraught appearance. Everyone came to Professor Hufflepuff when they had emotional problems, and they always left feeling better than when they came in. It made sense that even Professor Ravenclaw could benefit from Helga's calming, loving presence.

Lilian peeked into Professor Hufflepuff's office and found her bent over some parchment, scratching away with her quill. She looked up at the noise of the door, and smiled as she recognized the young Hufflepuff.

"You've come for your broom, correct?" She asked, and Lilian nodded. "Let me finish this letter and I'll get it for you."

Lilian rushed back to the front steps with the used broom in hand. She would have to ask her parents for a broom of her own if she was planning on continuing to ride, but that would be for later. Now she was filled with excitement and nerves, and she bounced down the steps to Cedric's side.

Cedric smiled as she came down, his pale eyes glittering in the bright sunlight. Summer had finally ushered autumn in, and with it came the crisp breezes, toting colorful leaves around the grassy area between Hogwarts Lake and the school.

"I thought we might go for a ride, then stopover in Hogsmeade to warm up before the game. Are you going to be warm enough with just that sweater on?"

Lilian felt that, as long as he smiled, she would be warm, but wisely didn't say that. "I'll see when I get into the air." She pulled a yellow woolen hat and matching scarf out of her pockets. "I can always put these on if it gets too cold."

"If those aren't warm enough, I can put a Warming charm on you," he said thoughtfully, and picked up his broom. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure." They flew over the forest for a while as Lilian slowly got used to the way this broom reacted. Most wizards did not know this, but each broom flew in a slightly different manner. She imagined that the horses the Muggles rode along the ground did not have identical strides, either. Her heart fluttered whenever Cedric drew close, and she was glad to see the warm smile on his face as he watched her.

"You're a natural at flying," he called to her, looping around her and then bearing to the left. Normally, wizards and witches were not allowed to fly brooms above forests, lest the wandering Muggles see them, but the vast forests around Hogwarts were protected by some strange magic that kept the Muggles from entering. This was a good thing, since creatures like hippogriffs and centaurs lived in here, and it would not do to have these obviously magical creatures caught and examined by the Muggles.

"Thank you," Lilian called back, the breeze making her cheeks seem more red than normal. She did not need the Warming charm yet, and although the wind was cool she was feeling warm. She looped around Cedric, turning upside down above him to show off a little. She liked to fly, she realized, and would definitely write home for a broom from her parents.

After another fifteen minutes, Cedric turned back the way they had come. "Shall we go get some hot chocolate?" He called to her.

"That would be great," she responded, and followed him.

Richard stared at Puddlemere for a long moment, trying to decide if he was insane or just mentally disabled. "You expect us to hit these balls _at_ people?" He hefted the heavy, lifeless black ball in his hands and tried to figure out how they would possibly stay in the air.

Adrian Puddlemere puffed himself up, offended by the callous tone in Richard's voice. "These bludgers will fly around by themselves once they are activated." He tightened the maroon and gold scarf around his neck, easily recognizable as the Gryffindor colors. Richard did not like the name of this ball: it sounded very dangerous.

"How do you activate them?" David Ackerly asked cautiously. He and his twin were both holding large wooden bats, identical expressions showing their doubt. Richard looked at the two of them and realized that David had large dark bags under his eyes while Ronald did not. He could finally tell the two of them apart, at least for a little while.

"Like this," Puddlemere began, and picked up the other heavy ball. He slid his wand along the squiggled etchings and the ball sprang up from his hands. "We might want to get out of the way," he mentioned trivially as the ball continued to shoot upward.

"Is it going to—" Ronald began to ask, but he received an answer to his unfinished question as the ball slowed, then came back down toward the quartet. It hurtled downward, moving faster now than when it had ascended. Puddlemere began to walk away from them, and Richard dropped the other ball and yanked the bat from David's limp grip. As the heavy ball approached them, Richard aimed at it and swung. There was a loud crack as the ball and bat contacted, and then the ball was sailing away from them, muttering loudly in some unknown language.

"Adrian?" Richard called, looking around for the fourth year. He was standing a good thirty meters away by this point. Rich had the distinct impression that the young Gryffindor was using this whole game to have a good laugh at the older boys' expense. "How do you turn it off?"

"You have to catch it!" the youngster called back merrily.

"Catch it?" Demanded David, and then ducked behind Richard as the grumbling ball came back. Ronald swung at it but missed, and the ball swerved around them, chortling as if it was laughing at his near miss.

Richard beat it away again and asked, "How do we catch it?"

Puddlemere stared with wide eyes for a few moments. "I don't know."

David ran over to Puddlemere, realizing that he couldn't protect himself with just a wand. The ball was too quick to be accurate with a wand. Ronald and Richard looked all around, keeping their bats tight in both hands.

"Where the hell did it go?" Richard growled, keeping himself in an open stance. Ronald shaded his eyes with one hand and looked around for it.

Richard saw it at the same time Ronald did, and they both shouted as it plunged down between their bodies. "Down!" Ronald shouted, and Richard hit the ball down again as it began to climb. Ronald jumped on it and pulled out his wand, casting a few stun spells on the ball to no effect. Richard grasped his own wand, keeping the bat in his other hand, and pointed it at the ball, which was frantically swearing at being caught. A few spells more, and then the ball went silent, ceasing its mumbling and movement.

"You figured it out!" Puddlemere called excitedly, finally coming closer now that the danger was past.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Richard growled.

David smirked at Ronald and said, sarcastically "You would make a pretty good Beater, Ron."

Ron cast a dark glare in his twin's direction. "I didn't see you swinging at it, either."

David continued to smirk as Puddlemere took the balls and put them into a thick burlap sack.

"Is there any more to the game, or is this it?" Richard asked. He would never agree to play if the only objective was to avoid flying balls that seemed intent on breaking bones.

"Oh yes, there's more," Adrian Puddlemere said, smiling. He reached into the second bag, pulling out a small box made of evenly spaced wires. Inside, moving around with quick and uncertain movements, were bright yellow puff balls.

Ronald cast a dark look at Richard, as if to ask "Why did you want to play this game?" but said nothing.

"These are snidgets," Puddlemere said, and reached into the cage to pull out two of the balls. He handed one to David, who cradled it as if he thought it was alive. The other one he offered to Richard.

Ronald looked into David's hands and protested, "This isn't a ball. It's a bird!"

Richard cupped his hands in the same fashion as David had, and peered into his hands eagerly. It was a little bird, terribly round and fat. Its thin wings fluttered against his fingers, tickling like the end of a goose-down quill.

"What's the point of these?"

"The Seeker has to catch them to end the game."

"That can't be too hard," protested Richard. "They're so fat."

David looked up at him. "Snidgets are really fast, too fast for the normal human eye. I'm surprised you caught that many of them," he said to Puddlemere.

The young Gryffindor smiled. "It was easy. I caught them while they were sleeping." He reached into the cage again and held one of the snidgets up into the air. It flapped frantically for a few moments, then shot away from his hands. Between one blink and the next, it was gone.

"You expect someone to be able to catch that?" asked Richard. So far, hitting giant yammering globes sounded like a lot more fun than trying to catch an impossibly fast bird.

"Well, I did," Puddlemere said. "Cedric Diggory has developed a knack for it, too."

Richard shook his head but said, "So, there are balls that try to kill you, and a ball that you have to catch to finish the game. What else?"

"There is the Quaffle, too." Puddlemere took the snidgets back and returned their cage to the bag, then pulled out a bright red ball with deep grooves in it.

"Does this one want to kill us?" Richard crossed his arms to show that he was not willing to hold this ball.

"It does not move by itself. The Chasers have to get it into one of the three circles at the ends of the field." He tossed the bright red globe to Ronald, who caught it easily.

"It's not at all heavy," he said, and offered it to Richard to weigh.

Richard caught it and turned it over in his hands. "Yeah, this would work just fine."

"So, there will be seven people on each team. One Seeker, two Beaters, three Chasers, and one Keeper, who protects the three goals."

"Are there fourteen people that are willing to have those Bludgers attack them?" Richard asked sincerely, looking down at the bags with disdain.

Puddlemere grinned. "We're four already, and Cedric and a couple of his pals are going to come."

"All right, let's see who will turn up," Richard said quietly. It had sounded like a good idea at the time, but it seemed dangerous and violent now, with the wind rushing across Queerditch Marsh. Richard looked out past the long rods with hoops attached to the top of them and hoped that no one else would come.

* * *

Ravenclaw: David Ackerly 7, Ronald Ackerly 7, Maria Brown 7, Kelly Hall 7, Rachel Pembroke 7 P, Brian Ackerly 6 P, Fern Chatham 6, Jillian Trelawney 6, Grey Pembroke 4, Roger Steward 4, Amy Ackerly 2,

Hufflepuff: Emily Dutch 7 H, Adam Sadler 7 P, Marie-Kate Dutch 6, Harriet Barnes 6, Megan Radderson 6, Virginia Smithee 5 P, Sybill Trelawney 5, Cedric Diggory 4, Gabrielle Dutch 3, Kimberly Ratcliffe 3, Henry Smithee 3, Lilian Woodstock 3, Jonathan Ratcliffe 1,

Slytherin: Octavius Malfoy 7, Terrence Nott 7, Francine Parkinson 7 P, Frederich Torres 7 P, Arthur Black 6, Reginald Mordente 6, Peter St. Thomas 6, Elsa Snape 6, Isaac Torres 6, Diana Verily 6, Davon Avery 5, Alexander Pritchard 3, Laura Pritchard 3, Rebecca St. Thomas 3, William Malfoy 2, Jacob Snape 2,

Gryffindor: Christopher Black 7 P, Richard Braveheart 7, Aaron Dumbledore 7 H, Rhiannon Pelland 7, Rebecca Sutherlin 7, Henry Barnes 6, George Weasley 6, Jeremiah Sutherlin 5, Diana Weasley 5 P, Mary Connor 4, Sarah Longbottom 4, Adrian Puddlemere 4, Russell Weasley 4, Alice Longbottom 3, Richard Weasley 2,

Other Wizards & Witches: Herpo the Foul (from Greece), Uric the Oddball, Jeanne Black (G), Jeremy Hufflepuff (Age 19), Garrett Ollivander (Architecture), Peter Ollivander (Wands), Samuel Gryffindor (Age 6), Bertha Gryffindor (Age 9), Kelsey Ravenclaw(-Slytherin) (Age 5), Abel (Ravenclaw-)Slytherin (Age 3), Farrah Slytherin (Age 1) Gretchen Malfoy (Slytherin's 2nd wife) 


End file.
